Heat looking at ex-Nugget, Vander Blue, others

MIAMI — With 13 players already locked into guaranteed contracts for the coming season, the Miami Heat are in the process of filling out the remainder of their roster for training camp.

In addition to 2012 second-round acquisition Justin Hamilton, the outside-shooting center out of LSU, confirming Monday he has signed, the Heat also are working out a series of prospects this week.

The Sun Sentinel confirmed Monday through league sources that among those who will work out in coming days for the Heat are free-agent guard Julyan Stone, who played last season for the Denver Nuggets; Vander Blue, a guard out of Marquette who went undrafted this past June; swingman Yakhouba Diawara, a journeyman forward out of France who spent the 2008-09 and 2009-10 seasons with the Heat; and point guard Larry Drew II, who went undrafted out of UCLA and was sidelined by injury after being scheduled to play for the Heat in summer league.

In addition to the 13 players under guaranteed contract, the Heat now have three players attending camp on non-guaranteed contracts: Hamilton, returning center Jarvis Varnado, and power forward Eric Griffin, who played with the Heat's summer-league teams in July in both Orlando and Las Vegas.

Teams can carry up to 20 players for training camp, which opens for the Heat Oct. 1 at AmericanAirlines Arena. Teams can carry between 13 and 15 players during the regular season, which opens for the Heat on Oct. 29 against the visiting Chicago Bulls.